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Pennington was considered an unruly child and had difficulty performing throughout school. "I would strip down naked, and swing from the blinds in my classroom as a child," he said in an interview for E! network. It wasn`t until he was seventeen years old that he was tested for, and diagnosed with, ADHD. He is now a spokesperson for the organization ADHD Experts on Call, and manages his condition with Adderall XR. Additionally, his mother, Dr. Yvonne Pennington, is a psychologist who focuses on the treatment of ADHD and depression.

A self-described "Jack of all trades," Pennington learned woodworking early in life. After attending Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia, he attended Kennesaw College, following which he received his undergraduate degree in graphic design from the Art Institute of Atlanta while working his way through school as a carpenter, and continued to work in carpentry after graduation while taking classes in painting and sculpture at the Atlanta College of Art. During his final semester, Pennington was approached by a modeling scout, and soon began a lucrative career. He traveled the world and landed print jobs for J.Crew, Swatch and Sprite, and appeared in television spots for Diet Coke, Levi`s, and Macy`s, among others. According to the TV Guide Channel, Pennington is the highest paid endorser in America.

Pennington parlayed his hands-on skills and design acumen into a career in the entertainment industry, becoming a set designer, including for the critically acclaimed film Leaving Las Vegas in 1995. However, his professional breakthrough came through The Learning Channel’s innovative hit show Trading Spaces. He quickly became known for his off-the-wall sense of humor and creative style during four years as the show`s playful designer and carpenter. Pennington has also taken a hand into acting as well. In 2003, he played Wilbur Wright in the independent film The Adventures of Ociee Nash and in 2004 he made an appearance on the TV series Wild Card.

When ABC began developing a show that would transform the homes of deserving families in seven days or less, Pennington was chosen as the leader of the eight-person design team. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition went on to be a huge hit, and catapulted Pennington into the mainstream. This led to an endorsement deal with Sears, a sponsor of the show. In January of 2005, Pennington fell ill and underwent an emergency appendectomy, taping an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition while in the hospital. Now entering into his fifth season on the show, Ty spends 240 days out of the year working on the show, and declares it to be “the greatest job in the world.”

Prior to his partnership with Sears, Pennington was the owner and designer of his own online furniture company, Furniture Unlimited, which is based in Atlanta and Los Angeles. Today, however, he lends his name to Sears, with their design team guiding the design of every item in the Ty Pennington Style line of bedding, tabletop items, bath accessories, and other miscellaneous home decor. He has actually has very little say in the design of the furniture. In addition to his involvement in design, marketing promotions and public relations activities for Sears, Pennington is also active in community outreach through the Sears American Dream Campaign.

Pennington is also an author, who (in 2003) published the book Ty`s Tricks: Home Repair Secrets Plus Cheap and Easy Projects to Transfor

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